


Words

by usedusernames



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-21
Updated: 2015-08-21
Packaged: 2018-04-16 09:15:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4619874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/usedusernames/pseuds/usedusernames
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Gablepot drabble for my friend, based off of the song 'Words' by the Monkees.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Words

The Penguin knew a smart man didn’t reveal his loves. That was what had led Frankie Carbone’s guts to be sliced open on his knife. He had other weaknesses, he knew– he had his pride: if someone insulted the way he walked, his anger could be brought to a rolling boil even though he knew hot heads could never outmatch cooler ones. If a follower turned against him, he would want vengeance despite knowing the loyalty of criminals was one that depended on the number of zeroes you could put on a check. He could be foolish, hypocritical even, in most ways, but not when it came to revealing true loves. There was no greater weakness than that.

He told no one about his love for Gabe, not even Gabriel himself.

Gabriel didn’t understand things like that. He believed in being blunt. That was his job, after all, and he did it well. He would say his ‘I love you’ and Oswald would feign either flattery or disappointment, depending on the day.

“Yes, thank you,” he would say. Or, “You need to understand the consequences of saying things of that gravity, Gabriel. The way that exposes you–even to me.”

If it was the latter, he would keep his hands off Gabriel for as long as he could. He would say, “Don’t touch me,” whenever Gabriel thought he was out of the doghouse enough to take advantage. Gabriel’s hands would make him want to cave immediately, but instead he would add another day to the sentence. To punish Gabe, and to punish himself. 

The longest he ever lasted was two weeks.

Gabe declaring his love was bad enough, but then one day there was a shift.

“I love you,” Gabe said. But instead of waiting for the Penguin’s usual response, he continued, “You could jus’ say you love me, too, ya know.”

Oswald could feel himself begin to shake. His hands, his feet, behind his eyes all quivering in…fear, perhaps. A frightful anticipation. “No, I couldn’t say that, Gabriel,” he said. If his weakness was so obvious, even without his admitting it, where would he be when he did? “Because I do not love you.”

This time the separation would have to last more than two weeks


End file.
